Mothproof receptacle



Dec. 13, 1932. K. LOFTIN MOTHPROOF RECEPTACLE Filed Aug. 1/ 1950 gnvmdoz [AW/FENCE K ZOFT/N.

6 after cg Patented Dec. 13, 1932,

I UNETEDJSTIATIES 1 "!arerrr- OFFICE Lewnnncn K. LOFTIN, OEALTAVISTA, VIRGINI nssreno'a'ro THE LANE COMPANY, INC., A. CORPORATION or VIRGINIA Mornrnoon BECEPTACLE Application filed August 1, 1930. Serial No. 472,442.

While I have, for the purpose of illustrating my invention, selectedwhat is known to the trade as a cedar chest, 1t 1s, of course, ob-

vious that my invention may With equal 5 efliclency be embodied 1n Wardrobes, chifiorobes, closets, household furniture, and other receptacles deslgned for the destroying of the clothes moth larvae found in clothing, furs and similar articles stored in such receptacles.

From experiments, conducted over quite a long period, the object of which was to produce a cedar chest that would destroy the clothes moth larvae, I discovered the fact that aroma thrown oil by the aromatic cedarwood oil, found in aromatic cedar was effective in killing moth larvze of any age if the proper concentration could be developed, and I have also found that the two fundamentals in securing proper concentration of aroma are to get enough cedarwood oil into the chest which I am accomplishing by'introducing enough cedarlumber to supply this oil and by making the chest sufliciently aroma tight. By

preventing this leakage and putting enough oil in the chest I could get enough concentration to kill moth larvae of any age and that all of this prevents the necessity of having to have clothes cleaned to get them free of moth eggs and larvae, or beaten, or. brushed, or

sunned, all of which methods have been recommended by various authorities to free fabrics of moth infestation. 1 The old type of cedar chest which was not aroma tight, ac-

cording to United States Government recommendations, would kill newly hatched moth worms up to half grown (twoto three months old) but if a person would place any fabrics into a chest that had more than half grown moth worms on them, they were so hard to kill that the cedar aroma concentration in the chest was not strong enough to kill them, but,

this I have been able to accomplish with my new aroma tight chest. The problem which I desired to work out was to destroy the moth larvae present in such articles, or hatching,

from eggs, that might have been deposited on them when they were stored away, as it has been difiicult and expensive and, in fact, im- 59 practical, to so clean every article stored as to insure the nonexistence of-moth larvaer or moth eggs when the article was, stored away;

Experiments demonstratethe fact'that the aroma of the cedar oil, which is in fact cedar oil in a' highly gaseous or vapor state, suspended in the air, is extremely penetrating and that, if the article infested "with moth larvae couldbe maintained ina receptacle for a sufiicient length of'time where the cedar aroma was ofjsufiicient density, all moth 191- 60 vac would be completely destroyed.[ The problem, therefore,-Was to first obtain a suf-Y; ficient amount of cedar oil aroma, n'ext to imprison this aroma in the receptacle so that the article would remain in an atmosphere of cedar aroma; of sufiicie'nt density therequired length of timeto destroy-the moths and, second, to so impris'oniand maintain the basic'supply of cedar oil that the required density'of aroma would be supplied over; a long period of years tomake the receptacle continuously efiective.

t was found by experiment that cedar aroma, that is cedar-oil, molecules in-suspenp sion in air, is approximately seven times as heavy as air. Consequently it is more dense at the bottom of the receptacle and, of course, whenthe receptacle is closed the giving off of the cedar oil molecules creates in the receptacle a vapor or gaseous pressure-which,although "slight as pressures are ordinarily measured, is quite suflicient to cause the cedar aroma to escape from the receptacle'through any hole, crevice or crack. And,'while it willv M escape more rapidly from a-hole at thefbot-' tomof the chest, as the density is greater at the bottom, this-pressure created as heretofore explained, will cause it at certain stages to escape regardless of the location ofthe leak. *Leakage or escape of the aroma from the chest is also caused by the variation in] be effective in destroying moths,provided the density of the aroma could be maintained, leakage prevented and the escape of the cedar oil in the form of aroma could be largely confined to the inside of the chest so that it might not be wasted by escape outside into the room.

I alsofound that this percentage of red cedar to the cubic content of a receptacle would not only supply an aroma of suflicient density to destroy moths, but that it would continue to supply it over along period of years, provided as above that leakageand waste were prevented.

My experiments conducted over manfy years have proven that the moth killing e ficiency of a cedar chest is proportionate to the amount of cedar oil present in the closure and the aroma tightness of the closure.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 isja perspective view of a cedar chest embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view embodying my invention.

The reference numeral 1 designates a cedar chest having front, rear, end and bottom walls 2,3, 4, 5, which may be of any desired construction, but, as described in another application of mine Serial No. 387,688, filed Aug. 22, 1929, the joints between the walls, bottom and top must be proof against the escape of the aroma of cedar oil as it is necessary to maintain the density of this aroma in the chest. V

I 'The top edge of the front, rear, and end walls of the chest is provided with a groove 6, the groove'in one wall intersecting the groove in another wall whereby the groove is continuous. This groove may be made in any desired way.

The chest is provided with a cover 7 having a depending flange 8 suitably secured thereto.

The sealing element between the chest and its cover comprises a flange 9 and an integral bulbous resilient head 9. The flange is securely fastened in the groove 6 with an aroma tight joint.

'The sealing element is, preferably, of textile structure; the head 9 having a large number of filling yarns 10 which are covered by a textile member, the ends of which are stitched together and constitute the flange 9. This sealing element can, of course, be woven on a narrow or webbing loom. The yarns 9 and the cover of the sealing element are made of material not subject to attack by moths, and the material is such that it has a long life of resiliency, consequently it remains efficient as a seal against the escape of the aroma of cedar oil from the chest between the cover and top edges of the walls of the chest. Again, the material from which the seal is made is not affected by cedar oil, or the aroma of cedar oil.

WhatI claim is:

In a cedar chest, in combination, a storage body, and a closure therefor, the top edge of each wall of said body having a groove therein extending lengthwise thereof, said groove having an inner portion of uniform width and a flaring outer portion and a moth probf sealing strip secured in said grooves, and comprising a bulbous head of resilient stufi'er or filler yarns, and a folded covering, the edges of which are secured together to form a flange, said flange being secured in the groove portion of uniform diameter and the base of the head being formed to conform to and snugly fitting in the flaring groove portion and said head having an upper contact surface convexly curved in a transverse clireetion and adapted to flatten and spread laterally under pressure of the closure when the latter is closed.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

LAWVRENCE K. LOFTIN. 

